It’s 100* in the shade and we all needed a break from the heat. As luck would have it, we scored two marionettes at a garage sale. As even better luck would have it (or hoarding, take your pick) I had a wardrobe box and extra curtains begging to be repurposed into a puppet theater. Whoo Hoo! We decided to act out Hansel and Gretel. While the boys turned toys, transformers and stuffed animals into props, I printed out the words to the fairy tale. Then, with everyone in position, we recorded Thomas acting out the drama while Michael read the story. It was lighthearted fun for the whole family. Whoo Hoo! Later, Michael wanted a crack at puppeteer so I was called to read the script (Thomas napped). A little background on Michael – he is a different kind of duck. He takes things like this very seriously. He can beat the fun out of an activity faster than Phelps can beat a swim record. Michael has stick-in-the-mud tendencies. Because he only wants to do what he is good at, he avoids things that make him self- conscious (if my husband is reading this: I blame you). I am okay being a doofus, so is Thomas. Michael? No. I thought this would be great practice for him. Whoo Hoo! We got set up and I pressed record. Despite hating the sound of my own voice (do I really sound like that?) I was game to narrate. As you’ll see in the video, about sixteen seconds in, everything falls apart. Disaster. Horror. Humiliation. Whoo Hoo? Off screen, Michael is distraught. He hides in the box crying. I am laughing – not at him, but because it was funny. But nothing is funny to this different kind of duck right then. Cue the internet. Once I coaxed my 9 year old out of the box (PS this was in no parenting book I read, thank you very much) we snuggled on the couch and I googled “movie bloopers”. He had no idea what a blooper was. When I explained that even professionals make mistakes, many mistakes, he started to settle down and laugh also. He really thought the final cut of a movie was made in one long take. No mistakes, no breaks, no do-overs. No wonder he had put so much pressure on himself and his one man show. I missed out on so many opportunities growing up because I was afraid of being laughed at. I took myself way too seriously. (Husband, if you’re still reading, I may have a smidge of blame to take on this one). I want better for my son. I want him to enjoy the process and not be obsessed with a perfect end-product. I hope he will learn that sometimes the bloopers are the best part of the movie. The best parts of life.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 14:04:07 +0000
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